


Good Night's Sleep

by AnotherIcarus



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Raising a Family AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-14
Updated: 2012-08-14
Packaged: 2017-11-12 02:49:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/485829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnotherIcarus/pseuds/AnotherIcarus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a little bit over a year since Bruce and Dick adopted a little girl. Returning home from business trips has never felt so good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Night's Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Based on some musing my friends and I did a while ago regarding how the couple would do raising a kid from infancy - rather than the Robin tradition of coming into the fold as a 10+ year old. Really fluffy, perhaps a little out of character for Bruce. All in all I'm still proud enough of it to post it though.

Getting home at four in the morning from a business trip to Europe was not Bruce’s idea of a good time. He dismissed Alfred with a tired smile and a warm grip to his shoulder - the man had insisted to pick him up at the airport, even though Bruce was more than capable of hiring a cab at such an ungodly hour of the morning.

“Goodnight then, sir. Becca will be pleased to see you’re home in the morning.” Alfred smiled tiredly, before heading off to his own room.

Which of course immediately told Bruce that their daughter hadn’t been pleased with his absence. Damian accepted it matter of factly, as did Tim, and he knew that while both boys would greet him, it was just the return from yet another required trip of Bruce Wayne. Dick - well, they’d talked nightly before he had gone to bed, Dick sounding tired but warm. Loving.

Rebecca though… as he made his way through the manor’s dark quiet halls, he gently nudged the toddler’s door open, letting the dim light cast itself in a thin beam across her bed. She seemed to be sleeping soundly at the moment - a rarity, a boon, and he found himself smiling. She was a light sleeper still, and he didn’t want to risk waking her, so he resolved to give her a kiss with interest once morning came. He continued the rest of the way down to the master bedroom, and was warmed at the familiar sight.

Dick had never ceased to be a restless sleeper, himself. Sometimes, less often lately, if they wound around each other in bed after patrol, he would sleep soundly and Bruce would wake up with a bruised shin where Dick had accidentally kicked while dreaming - but if Bruce was late to bed, carrying on too long in the Batcave, or if he was staying late at the office and it was Dick’s night off of patrol, Bruce would come to bed to find no room for himself around Dick’s sprawled form. Their coverlet normally ended up on the ground, the sheets twisted and tangled around his torso and limbs until Dick -couldn’t- move around; it was endearing, honestly. Even if Bruce hated to wake him in order to scavenge some small part of the bed for himself.

There was room for him tonight though - oddly, just enough. The thought crossed his mind, ever so briefly, that that space was longing, or just habit, of Dick’s body knowing exactly where his own fit in.

He dismissed such a thought as ridiculous as he unbuttoned his dress shirt and draped it on some piece of furniture, never once glancing at the lightswitch to turn it on. It was a full moon, and that light pouring into the window was enough for him to see by. Shoes, socks, pants - they were shucked aside, out of the way, and he’d put them where they belonged in the morning - for now he just wanted to go to be, he wanted-

“Welcome home, Bruce,” came quietly slurred from the bed. Sheets rustled a bit, and he looked up to see Dick propping himself up to sleepily smile at him.

Bruce hadn’t been able to resist answering that smile with one of his own for quite some time. “Glad to be back,” he said, starting for the bathroom. “I’m going to wash off the airport. Get back to sleep, it’s the middle of the morning, even for us,”

“Bats are bats,” Dick chuckled, but Bruce didn’t miss hearing the audible thump the pillow makes as Dick’s head hit it.

One short, quick shower later, and he was back to feeling somewhat human. He was also horribly, terribly awake. He splayed his fingers, brushed his still-damp hair back out of his face, and crawled into bed beside his partner, smiling at the comfortable, familiar feel of their bed, their sheets - Dick’s warmth within his fingertips for the first time in a week. Without hesitation, he wound his warms around Dick’s waist, tugging him a bit closer.

“How’m I supposed to get back to sleep when you smell like cinnamon?” Dick murmured and turned on his side to look at him, smile playing on his lips. “Didn’t even realize you grabbed my shampoo, did you?”

“Guess not,” Bruce said blankly, despite the fact that that had perhaps been a deliberate grab on his part, a subconscious desire to just have that one scent that reminded him more of anything of this bedroom, this bed -  his lover. He would certainly not admit how it had been the scent, the brand that he’d been using while overseas.

Dick didn’t seem concerned, whether or not he believed him. He just slipped his arms over Bruce’s shoulders, and smiled. “Mm. Well, I like it on you. Fits better than-” he stopped. Wrinkled his nose. “Well, whatever that is you use. Does it even have a name?”

“Mountain Breeze, I think.”

“You don’t even know,” Dick grinned, and pressed a sleepy kiss to the corner of his mouth. The arms around his neck only firmed a bit, a sure sign that any sleep Dick had been getting was now a distant memory, even though he had not yet opened his eyes all the way. “Missed you.”

“I missed you too.” Bruce kissed him gently in turn, too careless to mind how their noses knocked slightly. He had missed this too much - Dick filling his senses in that way only he could. 

“How much?” Dick challenged teasingly, pressing up closer. Bruce still sometimes needed things laid out plainly before him, but this wasn’t one such time. He just chuckled, a low, deep sound that he felt translate into a shiver in Dick, and rolled them slightly, until he was above Dick, braced from leaning his full weight on the acrobat by his knees, one palm going flat on the bed to help hold him up.

“Too much,” he said, and leaned down, giving a more thorough kiss. Dick was always reactive, beautifully so, whether he was just waking up or had been wired for another few hours of activity. His hand had found its way into Bruce’s hair, tangling amidst the still damp strands, and he cupped the back of his neck with the other, holding him there.

Bruce smiled into the kiss, and slid his fingers along Dick’s side, feeling the smooth skin, teasing along the few nicks and scars that had never healed completely. Dick shivered under him.

“Didn’t sleep on the plane?” He guessed in a whisper, as Bruce moved along to kissing his jawline, his neck.

“Not really.”

“We can’t be too loud, you know. Becca had a tough time sleeping today,” he supplied then, and Bruce bit back the immediate reaction.

Concern, worry - he hated leaving her. It wasn’t that he liked leaving Damian and Tim, or god, certainly not Dick or even Alfred, but they all understood, knew that keeping up appearances as Bruce Wayne was a full time occupation. Becca was only two, she still didn’t understand or like him leaving, to the point that he had to resist the urge to leave in the middle of night just to avoid seeing her cry when she caught sight of his suitcase.

A warm hand on his cheek disrupted his thoughts. “She’s okay, you know. Just missed you. Same as the rest of us.” Dick’s voice was gentle, soothing. A reminder that the younger man had learned to read him to an alarming point.

“What?” Feigning ignorance didn’t hurt, however.

“You left here for a second there.” Dick chuckled. It didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest - in fact, Bruce would argue the opposite. There was this warmth and love in Dick’s eyes - and understanding. “Always do when Becca comes up. I just meant that she knew you’d be back in the morning, and it was hell getting her to sleep.”

“So no loud noises and she’ll get a good night’s sleep. Right.” He nodded, and then smiled - needing to get the topic off his unnecessary worry. “Think you’ll be able to keep quiet, then?”

“I don’t know, think you’ll be able to  _keep_  me quiet?” Dick quipped back, challengingly, rocking his hips up just enough for Bruce to get the picture entirely.

Bruce laughed lowly, starting to duck down for another kiss from him when the door to their bedroom creaked open - just a little. It was more than enough to stop Bruce though, and then - “Daddy?” was whispered into the room, a small voice, sounding tinier than normal, a little shaky.

They were both out of it, then, Dick propping himself on his elbows to peer over to the door, the older man rolling off of him and following his gaze. “What is it, baby girl?” Dick prompted, voice soft and warm, with a  worried little frown. They exchanged concerned glances.

“S-scarydream…” Rebecca’s voice trembled, before she was sniffling; the beginnings of a flood threatened.

Dick immediately started moving, before Bruce touched his arm for him to still. Instead he climbed out of bed, quietly and quickly, and padded across the floor. “Do you want to stay in here with us then? We’ll scare off any monsters,” he murmured, crouching beside her.

The girl looked adorable, even near tears. Alfred had apparently plaited her hair earlier, and she was in one of her nightgowns - Nightwing blue, because she giggled that it reminded her of daddy when they’d bought it - and holding Mr. Rabbit by the ear.

She looked up and over, and her eyes widened, tears entirely displaced by pleased surprise. “Papa! Papa, papa!”

Bruce grunted a bit - more show than necessary - and caught her when she flung her little arms around his neck in a hug. “Hi there, Becca.” He smiled and hugged her close, kissing the side of her head.

“You’re home and it’s not even mor’nin!” She giggled happily, wriggling around in his arms.

“That I am. But it’s still sleepy time.” He smiled, standing and taking her with him, holding her gently and securely. He glanced over at the bed to see Dick watching them with a soft smile playing on his own lips, arms crossed and smoothing out the bedsheets. “Wanna stay here with us? We won’t let the bad dreams get you,” he added in a conspiratorial whisper that was playfully loud.

Their daughter pouted, as if considering this carefully, before she nodded. “Okay! With you and daddy.” She smiled happily, giggled, before gasping, as though she’d remembered something important. She pulled her arms from around Bruce’s neck, knowing with certainty that her father would never drop her. As they made their way back over to the bed, she held Mr. Rabbit up to his face. “Can Mr. Rabbit stay too? H-he’s scared too…” She whispered.

“Well… I don’t know.” Bruce furrowed his brows in play-concern, and looked at Dick. “What do you think?”

“We can’t just leave Mr. Rabbit out in the cold, Bruce!” Dick admonished lightly, and scooted over in the bed, patted the mattress. “C’mon, baby, we’ll protect you -and- Mr. Rabbit.”

Bruce set her down gently with another kiss to the top of her head, and moved to the foot of the bed to reclaim the coverlet. With a snap of it in the air, he spread it back out and settled it over the mattress. The other two inhabitants of the bed snuggled up under it, Becca giggling as the blanket momentarily settled over her head. Bruce watch them briefly,  before slipping into the other side of the bed, content at how Dick and Becca had already curled up to each other, Dick whispering something in her ear to make her giggle.

And then she squealed, as Bruce settled his arm to interlock with Dick’s over her, their hands locking gently together. She wriggled around a bit until she was on her back, and smiled at him. “I missed you, papa,” she said happily.

“I missed you too, Rebecca,” he said gently, smiling and kissing her cheek. “Get some sleep.”

“Okay. G’night papa.”

“Goodnight, Rebecca,” he said softly, and put his head on the pillow, smiling at Dick. “Goodnight, Dick.”

“Night. Sleep well, you two.” Dick said cheerfully, watching the two of them. “I love you,” and it was clearly meant for both.

Bruce would have to tell him just how much he loved him as well - later though. When he wasn’t so comfortable and warm and safe with his family beside him in bed. Sleep beckoned for now.


End file.
